It is difficult to find any disadvantages to holding either attribute unless, you are a slave and face death if you reveal any of these qualities. The subject of slavery continues to be a very controversial topic, and there are no advantages to enslavement. Only the slave holder would have recognized any advantages. It is unfortunate that America was built on the backs of slaves. At the time, slaves cleared land, cultivated farms, built homes, built railroads and roads, picked cotton and tobacco which were one of America’s biggest exports.
Her hatred toward slavery led her to writing the book, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. This book depicted slavery’s cruelty, inhumanity and the impact that it has on the families lives. The characters in this book portrayed the life of real slaves and the struggles they went through. Poor old Uncle Tom was beat until he died. This was something that happen to many slaves when they were being punished and it may have been just because they were working to slow.
Sadly it is here where things went wrong, and the ugly side of human nature reared its face. The residents of the colonies came to the realization that these Africans were a “great” source of cheap labor, thus constituting the institution of slavery. With this by the end of the seventeenth century, the colonies began to establish laws that stated these people that were originally indentured servants were to be slaves for life as well as their children. And this is how slavery got its start in what was to become the “great” country, The United States of America. Not too
Unlike the Native Americans, they were viewed more as a tool rather than an individual since the beginning of the African slave trade. Their lives were devastated as families were split apart and their freedom was stripped away from them. Those who were enslaved soon used freedom petitions to rally to the cause of abolishing slavery, one in which revealed how they had “with other men a natural and unalienable right to that freedom which the great parent of the universe hath bestowed equally on all mankind” as they argued that it was unjust to judge people by their appearance. They believed, like white women, that every individual was given such rights as a human being as well. They believed that they were fellow brothers, but were instead ignored and harassed by white men for their own benefit.
HistorySlavery was an institution that victimized as well as other cultures due to being in a controlled environment. Every suffered in their own way due to racial prejudice and fear of growing numbers. Masters which were also called Slave "owners" believed that treating another human being of another color like an animal was right. The children of the slave owners were being victimized as well due to following what their parent’s doings were right in treating another human being in such a manner. Slavery was so victimized that it still affects the society to the extent that black people blame the whites , and white people still agree that black people need to be slaves.
Slavery even begins to affect the slaveholders’ own religion and shows how ignorant they really are. Douglass says that by allowing themselves to commit such acts of cruelty, the slaveholders would begin to validate their actions by saying that the Bible gives them the right to treat slaves this way. This kind of hypocrisy is to a degree that shows how manipulated the slaveholders really were. It is clear that Douglass is making a point that through slavery, identity is lost in more than just
Slave owners purposely tried to keep their slaves from learning these skills. Keeping slaves “ignorant”, so to speak, was a key part of the institution of slavery. A slave who could not read or write was without the “knowledge” of the wrong doings of the white salve owners (Goehring, 2012). Learning to read and eventually write was the most important thing for Douglass. This would open doors to his “Path to Freedom”.
Douglass’ narrative is a recount of the tough life on the plantations before his escape to New York. Douglas describes in this narrative the senseless acts of cruelty on the part of the masters as well as the debased lives of the slaves. In this book he also stated how his master forbade Mrs. Auld to teach him any further, because he felt that once Frederick Douglass learned to read, it would do him no good, but a great deal of harm, it would make him discontented and unhappy, it would forever unfit him to be a slave, and there would be no keeping him. This very much, somehow inspired Frederick Douglass to learn at whatever cost of trouble. Frederick Douglass would bring bread from his home and give an exchange for knowledge with the poor white boys, who was contribute to him being
The littlest things can change how we are seen as a person. For example Frederick Douglass was a slave, but he took the time to be educated and started asking questions about why the whites were doing what they were doing. Because Frederick Douglass was a slave he was seen to be a piece of property and not human in his master’s eyes, this was wrong! In the past slaves were not to be educated, it was against the law to educate a slave. Whites were scared of the power that education could offer the slaves.
It would make him discontent and unhappy.” This quote shows history at how slaves were thought of and treated. This was written from a slave’s point of view on what he heard and saw. Unfortunately most slaves did not teach themselves nor were taught how to read and write so their voices and opinions were never heard. Without this the reader would not fully understand the prejudice and close mindedness people of that time period had about slaves. Douglas also understood at that time the pathway from slavery to freedom was education.